Choosing Your Instructor
Life is Complicated.
There are many facets that go into making a successful one (work ethic, time management, and monetary responsibility, to name a few.) And all these facets have some solutions that are better, and some that are worse.
When trying to learn a new skill, choosing the proper teacher can be just as complicated when it comes to getting you the most bang for your buck, Even the humblest of skills can be cultivated to an extraordinary level, if every little detail is maximized to its fullest effect.
Naturally, this process takes an exceptional amount of time - unless you find someone who already has the answers that is willing to teach you. And the time saved by learning all the best techniques will allow you spend your valuable time fine-tuning that skill to fit your personal tastes.
Pitfalls when choosing an instructor:
Picking the cheapest - instruction that goes for cheap will not have the golden nuggets of information that you cannot find elsewhere, like any page from the internet. The information will not have game-changing effect you want.
Picking the closest - the closest instructor is, most likely, not the best. Especially if you have a small selection of nearby instructors, you are limiting yourself to playing the odds and, chances are, playing the odds leads to a loss. Average instructors are, by definition, average; there are more of them than exceptional teachers, and you have a higher chance of signing up with one of them. This makes the process take longer than it has to.
Picking the most likeable - just because an instructor is well-liked, even if they are versed in their field, that doesn’t mean they will be a good instructor. The key takeaway here is that the their teaching skill is entirely separate from both their charisma and their own skill at whatever you wish to learn. Even if the instructor is versed in said skill, if they don’t explain things in a way you can understand, you will still gain no benefit.
To increase your chances of maximizing your progress, look for these traits in an instructor instead:
A good instructor will have 10+ years in their field. This gives the instructor ample time to figure out what works best, through their own trial and error and, if they spent their time wisely, ample time to learn from an instructor of their own. The instructor did the heavy lifting for you, and you are free to benefit at your leisure.
A good instructor can properly balance what a student wants from their instruction with what they need to progress; it’s a subtle art, but one that can make or break your entire experience as a student. What a student wants from a lesson is based on what personal limited experience they may have with the skill. However, the student is likely unaware of all the different avenues to reach their goal, especially if what will give them the most progress involves an activity that they do not inherently enjoy. These must be blended in a way to keep things fun and interesting.
A good instructor is exactly that: and instructor. There are many business, retail stores in particular, that will offer instruction in their various arts (in addition to their regular storefront.) However, the lessons and student progression isn’t their main goal here. The goal for them is to get you in the door to buy something. Working with a professional instructor eliminates this conflict of interest.
Hopefully, this will give you a good idea of what to look for when it comes to learning guitar (or anything else.) If you are looking for a more tailored experience for your instruction, consider signing up here and get started on your guitar journey today!
“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”
~Isaac Newton
Play Loud. Be Heard.
Gavin F. Haley
Headmaster
Apex Guitar Institute
